TIRANA, Sept. 26 – Two of the country’s key public finances institutions, the tax and customs directorates, have undergone an unexpected reshuffle over the past few days but will continue to remain women-run. Brisida Shehaj, who headed the general tax directorate since October 2013 when the Socialist Party-led government took over, has been appointed deputy economy minister. Her departure as the country’s top tax inspector comes at a time when government revenue registered a significant 7 percent increase in the first eight months of this year, but struggled to meet the target even after a mid-year budget cut.
In her early 30s, Shehaj was one of the youngest tax directors Albania has had and faced criticism over her alleged inexperience with public finances but was supported by Prime Minister Edi Rama as one of the most successful directors especially during the nationwide campaign against informality in late 2015.
Shehaj will be replaced by Vasilika Vjero, who until now headed the National Business Center, a new one-stop shop that merged the former national registration and licensing centres in late 2015.
Bela Ikonomi has become the third customs director in the past three years, replacing Vasilika Vjero. Both Ikonomi and Vjero are known as close collaborators of Prime Minister Edi Rama at the time he was Mayor of Tirana, a post he held for eleven years until 2011.
The customs administration has faced a sharp cut in income in the past couple of years due to a slump in international oil and mineral prices affecting domestic production and exports.
